Treatment of ovarian cancer beyond chemotherapy: are we hitting the target?

Abstract

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the sixth most common cancer worldwide among women, and, in developed countries, it is the leading cause of mortality among gynecological malignancies. With an overall cure rate of <40% across all stages, it comprises a variety of tumors with different histopathological features and biological behavior. Nowadays, OC is considered a general term that designates a group of molecularly and etiologically distinct diseases that share an anatomical location. Approximately 70-80% of patients with OC will relapse after first-line chemotherapy, and the majority of them will eventually die of chemotherapy-resistant disease. Until now, the management of relapsed OC remains an unmet medical need. Therapy rather depends on tumor stage and grade than on histological type, but there is growing evidence that, as epithelial OC is a heterogeneous disease, it needs a tailored approach based on the underlying molecular genetic changes. Several phase III studies investigating targeted therapies are underway, and a more individual approach for treating OC will be selected in the future. The purpose of this paper was to review the literature in order to highlight available data emerging from trials and to evaluate efficacy and safety of molecularly targeted drugs in OC.